


know you better

by hanzios



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Crush, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:00:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23557219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanzios/pseuds/hanzios
Summary: Sonny Carisi is a juror in a rape and murder case. ADA Rafael Barba is the lead prosecutor.This is the worst time to have a crush.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 80





	know you better

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Subaruchan192](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Subaruchan192/gifts).



The sharp, green-eyed, _handsome_ lawyer stalked across the courtroom with the confidence that matched the wit of his tongue. The way his gestures, his poise talked as much as his words was an incredible feat in and of itself. Sonny knew he should be paying more attention to the case at hand rather than the magnificently-dressed prosecutor, but the man couldn’t help but be drawn to him. 

  
It’s already been Day 2 of the trial and Sonny has started to notice things.

  
Mr. Barba smirked. He scoffed (a lot). He’d tried to hide it, but he rolled his eyes once, too. Whenever the defense tried to build up a weak rebuttal against arguments Barba had already established, Sonny sat and waited for one of his amusing facial expressions. His face was stone cold, apart from the frequent little quirks Sonny seemed to like, eyes trained in front of him like a hawk. His hands were always either holding a pen or curled into a fist on his desk. He leaned back on his chair when he felt most confident; he leaned forward when he was thinking, planning a new strategy.

Like a lion cautiously stalking its prey.

  
Sonny had realized his little crush wasn’t so little after all when Barba once stopped in front of him as he was talking, placing both hands on the wooden divider that separated him from the enchanted law student.

  
He was so close, Sonny could smell him. Without thought, he took a sniff. 

  
Barba froze. Only momentarily. He caught Sonny’s wide eyes before finishing his cross-examination and walking back to his chair. 

  
Warmth spread from the back of Sonny’s neck to his entire upper body. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ Now Barba was gonna think he was a creep. Worse, he might get him replaced. He can already imagine the man talking to the judge, telling her that ‘ _Juror 6 smelled me in court while I was cross-examining the witness. I need him out of my sight this instant.’_

  
And if Sonny were accused of such behaviour, he wouldn’t even be able to deny it. Because he’d already know that Barba smelled like affluent roses; the kind of smell that exuded from high-end stores like Louis Vuitton. The kind of smell that could afford those pristine three-piece suits he always wore. He smelled like how he looked. Expensive.

  
That night, when he was doing homework, he was silently waiting for a letter from the judge that never came. The next day he went back to court, caught Barba’s eyes, and looked away. 

  
Sonny had thought about approaching him. But not here. Not now. 

  
Maybe later. Maybe soon. 

  
As he took his seat beside the old lady he’d already made friends with, Sonny sneaked a peek into Barba’s direction. And there he was, looking back. Barba had his green eyes transfixed on him, before the lawyer quickly caught himself and turned his attention to his case files. 

  
Sonny’s breath caught in his throat. 

  
Sonny had been staring, ever since day one.

  
But he didn’t know Barba was staring back all along.

  
The trial started and ended fast. The only person left to call on the stand was the defendant. A tall, lanky white man with thin-rimmed glasses and an odd smile. He was being charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography, Rape I, and Murder I. Sonny hated the guy’s guts already. 

  
He paid extra attention to Barba cross-examining him. How he buttoned up his dark grey suit as he stood up, carefully walking towards the front of the podium, firing questions. How he placed his hand on his hip, turning to face the jury, continuing to make the defendant trip on his words. How his lips curled – sinister and unkind – as the defendant practically confessed to his heinous crimes in a fit of rage. Lamb to the slaughter. 

  
How he smirked at that.

  
Barba looked at Sonny.

  
Sonny stared right back. 

  
The defendant was the last witness. After the judge had told the jurors of their duty and importance, they were dismissed to discuss. As they left the courtroom in a pack, Sonny craned his neck through the crowd in search of a bright yellow tie and piercing green eyes.

Barba was near the large, wooden doors, talking to the lieutenant of the case. He had on his face a sight that was unfamiliar to Sonny’s eyes, but something he could grow accustomed to: 

  
A smile. Small, tight-lipped.

  
But radiant. Bright. 

  
Oh, what Sonny would give to bathe in Rafael Barba’s light. 

+

The deliberation didn’t even take three hours. Barba gave a tough fight and an air-tight case. They had credible witnesses, viable DNA samples, and the testimony of a victim who looked sympathetic enough for everyone to agree that the defendant was guilty. Sonny probably even annoyed some of the jury members by spouting as much of his legal expertise he could offer, just to get that guilty verdict. He couldn’t help it; the thrill of being able to serve justice was a high that could never be replicated.

  
There’s also the fact that Barba would be happy to win the case. If Sonny could help him in any way he can, he would. He is admittedly being a tad bit biased, but that’s a small sin he’s willing to confess to. 

  
It was worth it. 

  
When the head juror announced their verdict, Barba turned his head slightly towards the audience, nodding to the detectives, the victim, and her family. His gaze returned to the judge, but only after sparing Sonny a look that could be constituted as innocent. Sonny’s heart beat wildly. 

  
The judge adjourned the trial and thanked the jury members. Sonny only had to blink twice before Barba was out of sight. He’d left in a hurry; everyone else was still in the courtroom, shuffling slowly to get out. Sonny inwardly cursed for looking away for three seconds. Like a mom who’d lost his hyperactive son in a mall.

  
Sonny sifted through the crowd, muttering ‘sorry’s and ‘excuse me’s. It was easy for him to get through the countless sea of bodies, thanks for his height and loud Staten Island accent that alerted anyone of his arrival. When he’d finally managed to go out to the hallway, Barba was still nowhere to be found. The Hall of Justice is gigantic. The man could be anywhere. 

  
Sonny hopped into an elevator to the ground floor. When he came out, his eyes immediately fixated on the backside of the man he was looking for. Barba was about to exit the building, so Sonny quickened his pace. He followed him outside, and called for his name.

  
“Mr. Barba? Mr. Barba!” 

  
The man was fifteen feet ahead of him, but still managed to turn around at first call. Barba’s right eyebrows shot up at the sight of Sonny, seemingly amused. He stopped walking, allowing Sonny to jog to him. 

  
“Juror number six.”

  
“Dominick Carisi Jr.,” Sonny held out his hand, still breathing unevenly. “Everyone calls me Sonny.” Hesitantly, Barba shook his hand, sending fireworks down in Sonny’s belly. Realizing he really had nothing to say to the prosecutor, Sonny stuttered out, “Uh, g-great work out there, Mr. Barba.” 

  
Barba nodded, humble. “Good jury.” 

  
Sonny smiled. “Well, um, I’m a law student myself. I’m at my third year at Fordham, you know, and…” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, wondering how the hell this won’t come off as creepy or desperate. “I was wondering if you coul– we could–“

  
Barba rolled his eyes. “Mr. Carisi, I am not on the market for protégés.”

  
“ _No_. No, I’m not asking you to mentor me,” Sonny explained, holding his hands out. “I was wondering if we could, I dunno, get a cup of coffee sometime? Maybe?” He flashed Barba his best smile, with the puppy dog eyes to boot. The move worked well with previous romantic encounters, but something told him Barba wasn’t the kind of guy to fall for that. 

  
From their small distance, Sonny could see the redness seeping into Barba’s cheeks. 

  
Huh. Maybe he was.

  
Barba stepped closer. He said, lowly, “There’s a little cafe just around the corner of the DA’s office. I get my coffee there at 3. Black, no sugar.”

  
Sonny could smell him. He held his breath.

  
Before he could even begin to reply, Barba was already walking away.

  
The grin that spread across Sonny’s face was somewhere inbetween prideful and excited. Excited, because he finally got the date he was imagining since five days ago. And prideful, because his date looked like _that_.


End file.
